#White Walkers

[thewatcher0nthewall]

"Dance with me then"

[mysticalcatpeanut]

They didn't have Lucerys's body for the funeral so to represent his whole life, Jace used his newborn clothes, Joffrey his toy as a child, Rhaenyra his clothes as an adult...

[freakassfemme]

(Smut) Captain's Quarters - Yara Greyjoy x CisF!Reader

Summary: Princess Y/N, sibling of Queen Daenerys, has returned with her sister for a visit to the Iron Islands. These visits used to be more commonplace, but the two have not visited the islands since before the Battle of Winterfell. Y/N has a strong attachment to the islands, but finds her attachment has extended to its reigning monarch in a new, unfamiliar way.

Word Count: 4.2K

Warnings: loss of virginity, oral sex, fingering, praise kink (kinda), the works

A/N: Long time no see! I got so sick and tired of there being no reader insert for Yara that I arose from the dead with 4.2K words of yara-posting. Yara-yearning, if you will.

NO MINORS BEYOND THIS POINT

The night was surprisingly warm for the Iron Islands, and the salty mist of the beaches hung heavy in the air and clung to the sway of your hips and undone hair. Your hands clutched your silken robe shut as you leisured through the sand, a soothing waft of lavender from your recent bubble bath hitting your nose with a gentle breeze.

You paused at the base of the shore, where the brine nipped at your toes and you tilted your head back, deeply inhaling into your chest. Your eyes slipped shut.

It wasn't often you and your sister were able to visit the islands, but gods above, you had missed it. Queen Yara had earned a special place in Daeneyrs's heart after her proven loyalty to the Dragon Queen, and thus routine visits were necessary to uphold the alliance between the Greyjoys and the remaining Targaryens. Sometimes it felt like you had grown up here, and sometimes the coldness of Pyke felt more familiar to you than anything back home, despite how long it had been since you had returned.

You would never admit it, but something about the sea and the people on this particular side of the world had consumed you during all these years of visits. Something about the people's wildness and the way it mimicked the ocean that mothered the island spoke to you and whispered to you at night and danced on your eyelids in spirals and swirls.

Some other nights, when the whispers never came, you would hold a large shell up to your ear and pray. The beloved gift had always answered you with the melodic pounding of waves against rocks, against ships, and lured you to sleep. In your dreams, you would sink into your deepest desires.

In this realm, much below the surface level of what was true and probable, you would find yourself standing beside an iron throne. This was not unusual for you -- you had been born to stand behind your brother, and then readjusted to beside your sister. Your duty had always been protecting the honor of this seat and whomever presides in it, and yet this integral piece of your mind, heart, body and soul vanished in these moments, and instead, you found yourself for once atop of the throne.

Well, atop of its monarch.

Clawing at the throne, which was not particularly jagged and sharp like the one your sister sat upon, and clawing at the crowned, whose calloused hands curled inside you and rough lips whispered filthy promises to you in a voice that sounded an awful lot like

"Yara!"

You stumbled away from the shore, whose once soothing pulls had now gone ice cold and stabbed at your feet and at hem of your robe. Your hand readjusted the collar of your robe out of instinct, as your sense slowly settled, though your burning cheeks lingered a bit too long.

Turning towards the disturbance, your eyes caught on the closest (and largest) docked ship, whose windows and deck harbored light and celebration. A group of sailors and soldiers drank merrily and called for a straggling participant, who marched towards the boat and waved them off, enjoying the attention in her own way. In this moment, you were grateful that the shadows of the cliffs behind you hid your so very clearly out of place figure.

Your attention followed Yara as she boarded the ship, and despite the distance, you could make out the way they all greeted her with a clasp on the shoulder, pat on the back, or smack on the bottom. The corners of your mouth turned up at the raw, unabashed display of admiration.

Shudders ran down your back and you ignored the way your stomach turned. For a moment, you thought about heading back to the castle. Nauseatingly, you thought about knocking on your sister's door and spilling these secrets to her and beg for direction, a command, anything.

Daenerys was the closest thing you had to a mother, and the urge to crawl into her arms and wait for guidance on this troubling issue consumed you as it always had, but you were a woman now, a delicate one, but blossomed and bled nonetheless, and you had witnessed your own sister's call to these womanly urges, and it was incredibly reminiscent of this pull you felt to the Ironborn Queen.

Your mind wandered back to your arrival this morning.

"It has been so long since I've returned," you said to Daenerys as you marveled over the aged walls of Pyke. Your hand danced across the slotted stone, digging your finger into chipped areas and rubbing your thumb against the in-between space.

Daenerys smiled knowingly, hands clasped softly in front of her. Missendei, Tyrion, and Greyworm trailed closely behind.

"How long has it been?" You murmured, mostly to yourself.

"Not since before the war, my lady," Tyrion added, and you turned to him, nodding with a solemn smile.

"It has been nearly that long since I have seen the rest of the Greyjoys, as well. Not since Theon."

Tyrion and Daenerys nod respectfully, reminiscing on Theon's death and the bravery that presumed it. A small silence ensued.

"I never understood how you have adapted so well to this cold, my lady," Missendei said, sweetly cutting the silence.

"She is a dragon," Daenerys replied, reaching out to brush a bit of her sister's hair back into place. "She provides her own warmth."

The throne room was modest in size but exuberant in its carvings, luxurious enough to suggest status but rugged enough to represent the people it ruled. You couldn't help but admire it all, it being so vastly different from the outright lushness of Mereen or even Dragonstone.

Of course, the architecture was not the only thing you were interested in. You turned your attention to the throne, and immediately stopped. Your sister continued for only a few steps more, taking her place in front of you.

"Yara," Daeneyrs greeted with a warm smile.

Yara strutted forward with an unmatched level of confidence, and you couldn't help but stare at the way her leather tunic hugged her strong shoulders. You were used to Yara not dressing like any other lady you had known, but couldn't help but always think the natural defiance in her pants and boots exuded power and self-assurance. Yara looked somehow more bold and stronger than you had ever seen her, and it was admirable in an unfamiliar, indescribable way.

"My queen," Yara bowed in her own way, a half-smirk ever-present, "It is an honor."

The two clasped arms, and Daenerys smiled before turning to you.

"I'm sure you remember my little sister, Princess Y/N."

Yara's attention followed, and you couldn't help the way you held your breath and stared up at her with widened eyes. It was like you were seeing her for the first time.

"Princess Y/N."

Yara said your name like she was trying it on, but in truth she had always used formalities in this way, especially towards you. In your aw-stricken mind, you'd like to think that her gaze softened a bit. She had never looked at you like this before.

"Your return has been long-awaited."

She outstretched her hand, and you took it with both of your hands, feeling yourself relax into it. Your eyes watered a bit, and you squeezed, unable to avoid the way you beamed up at her.

"I have missed the islands dearly."

Your sister had given in to her own desires, and she had lived to tell the tale. Perhaps you would too.

The ground seemed to push you towards the ship, and by the time your eyes unglossed and you regained clarity, you found yourself standing at the base of the footway. You of course had been on many vessels that belonged to the Iron Fleet, and you knew the people on board rather well, but you couldn't help but feel nervous now. These men were rather drunk, and you knew you probably should have an escort this late. Not even status could always safeguard a lady from the hands of depravity and sin. Stupidly, you grabbed on to the ropes of the ramp and pulled yourself aboard.

Immediately the overwhelming stench of ale and piss cause you to wrinkle your nose.

"Gods above," you whispered to yourself. Though you had been quiet, the sailors very quickly took notice of your presence.

"Princess!" one called, waving at you with his mug of ale. It sloshed over the sides and splashed, narrowly missing you. The men around him jokingly scolded him.

"Come on Ravos, you don't want to ruin her dress," a dark haired, stout man called Yohn slurred.

"Don't look like she's wearing much of a dress to me."

The men turned to you once more, and your ears burned, now with a much more uncomfortable feeling as they eyed you. One coughed and shifted on his feet.

You wrapped your robe tighter, straightening yourself up like you had been taught. You narrowed your eyes slightly, and responded directly to Ravos.

"Where can I find Yara?" You asked, hoping you exuded more authority than the piece of meat you felt like.

Reacting much more appropriately, he turned and pointing towards the North end of the ship.

"Captain's quarters," he grunted, avoiding eye contact.

You nodded, and the fifteen or so men stumbled backwards to allow for a path.

Carefully you stepped over puddles of questionable substances and shards of glass, maintaining as much grace and fierceness as you could muster. Behind you, the men resumed their activities, seemingly already over the drunken encounter. You knocked once on the Captain's door, before hurriedly slipping inside, eager to escape the sailors.

As you shut the door and turned to face her, you had to carefully force out a normal respiration rate. Yara was propped up in her chair with her boots resting on the desk, holding her own stein, though her sobriety seemed much more intact.

"Hello, princess."

Yara didn't bother hiding her surprise. She set her stein down and dropped her arms to the ends of her arm rest. A smirk creeped across her face, and she leaned her head back as she very obviously eyed you up and down, legs spreading a bit for a better view. Despite her brute persona, she did seem to try to hide the way she stuttered over the V of your robe.

You noticed anyways.

"A little far from the dressing room, are we?" She nodded at your outfit. You blushed and nodded with a smile. She smiled back and sat up. "You should know better than to walk around alone at night like that, especially here."

"I'm not alone now," you replied softly. Here in the candlelight, she was able to see you fully.

Yara took notice of the way you wrung your hands together, the way your eyes were glued to the loose laces of her tunic, the rose hue of your cheeks and ears, and your long, snow-white hair falling in loose curls around you.

Yara had known you for half a decade at this point. When she first met you, you were a scrawny, timid little girl who watched from Daeneyrs's shadow. To be fair, you were still quite shy, but you were a woman now, not nearly the little bird of a lady that you used to be. Now, in the warm lighting, she could see that these days you were more of a snow leopard than a cub, and you looked almost regal.

For a moment, Yara wondered what you would look like on the throne instead of your sister. Her hands squeezed at her chair at the idea, and she concluded that that was an image that would inspire millions.

Yara's eyes returned to your face, recomposing her commanding demeanor. She shrugged and stood, traipsing leisurely towards you.

Your eyes' followed each other, studying the other until they met. Yara had never looked at you this way, not that you could recall, and the curiosity in her face sent a thrill down your spine and fueled your ego.

"Oh, but I am as much as of a predator as any man out there, princess," Yara countered.

Peculiarly, you stepped forward, taking Yara by surprise at this newfound confidence. She watched you, and noticed something lurking behind your irises, something Yara was very familiar with and could feel exuding off of your body, but ten fold. She knew why you had come.

"And I am a dragon," You murmured, meeting her eyes without hesitation. Up close, you looked even more feral than before, with the sea spray making a wild mess of your hair, and each rock of the boat interrupting your breaths.

Yara backed up to sit on the edge of her desk, and you followed, keeping the distance small but not yet close enough. Yara waited for you to make a move with unusual patience. You raised your hand to caress the open area of her shirt with your palm, then push it aside just a few inches to trace her collarbone with your index and middle finger.

"Are you scared of dragons, Yara?"

"Anyone in their bloody right mind is scared of dragons," she replied, watching your hand as her breathing grew heavy. You giggled, reaching your hand around to cup the space between her ear and neck, letting your thumb rub her jaw.

"Are you scared of me?" You spoke quietly, like it was a secret meant to be kept safe between the two of you.

"I'm hungry for you," she growled, eyes heavy with desire. You felt your core throb in an entirely new way, letting out a small whimper at the feeling.

Finally, Yara reached out, hand splaying across your lower back, where she could finally feel that the robe was the only thing preserving your modesty, and she could've fainted at the realization.

"I've never been with a dragon before," Yara confessed, halfway a joke, yet halfway entirely all too true. You brought up her other hand to truly cup her face, bring her attention to you.

"I've never been with anyone before," You whispered, and for a second Yara could see that familiar timidness she knew of you flicker between the lust clouding your vision. "You are the only person I've ever wanted."

Yara let out a small noise at this. "Then you must be starved."

You nodded, eyes falling to her lips.

"Can I?"

"Please."

The first thing Yara noticed was how warm you are. Your lips against hers were like fire, and your soft whimpers made her want to crawl inside the flames and be burnt alive. You practically fell against her, knees going week, but she grasped you with both hands and held you up.

This alone was like nothing you had ever experienced. Your ears rung from the intensity and your nails dug into Yara's skin ever so slightly, illiciting a gasp from her that you greedily swallowed.

Yara reached back with one hand, pushing herself off to stand, keeping you slotted between her legs. She turned you both, pushing you against the desk until you were sitting atop it now. You raked your hands over her shirt, grasping at it and pulling her as close as you could. Yara put her hands between you and undid the tie to your robe, hurriedly pulling it off your shoulders. She reached under your thighs, lifting you up by them and letting the robe fall on to the floor.

As Yara angled you on to the desk, you propped your arms behind yourself, baring your legs to her. She paused, staring at your bare form and licked her lips.

"Gods below," she growled, running her hands up your body. You shivered as they danced over your thighs and ghosted over your breasts. "You're fucking stunning."

Yara pushed back between your legs. The warmth of her skin against yours and the cold leather of her pants pressing against your bare sex made you moan. Yara shoved her hand back behind your back and laid you down flat.

"Such a pretty cunt," she whispered, tracing her thumb over you. You gasped at the touch, and watched as she brought it up.

"Do you know what this is, sweet girl?" Yara watched the way the wetness glistened on her finger, and you nodded your head.

She grinned, then brought her thumb to her mouth and sucked it clean. You whimpered at the sight, nearly panting now in desperation.

She leaned down to kiss to you and forced her tongue into your mouth. You moaned at the feeling and at the taste, grabbing on to the back of her head and pushing back with your own tongue. Yara groaned into your mouth and grabbed you by the neck, deepening the kiss, if that was even possible.

Yara's scent and touch and taste consumed you, feeding into every one of your senses and bleaching them until all that was left was her.

Finally, Yara put her hand against your chest and pushed you back against the desk.

"Be a good girl and open your legs a bit more for me," she commanded, and without a single underlying thought, you obeyed, gasping at the way your stomach turned at the petname. You watched with slightly parted lips, panting, as Yara sunk to her knees, staring into your eyes so intensely that you couldn't even think about looking away.

She settled between your legs and brought her hands to rest up on your thighs, just in case. You pushed up on your elbows, trying to see what she was going to do, when she pressed a firm kiss to your sex. You groaned, cheeks going pink, and Yara reacted similarly.

She kissed again, this time open mouthed, and gently sucked on your growing bud. You could feel your cunt pulsing, and your thighs quivered around Yara's head, but she held firm.

She licked stripes around your clit, teasing you before giving it a direct swipe that had you balling your fists and curling your toes.

"Yara!" You gasped, perhaps a little too loudly, because the voices outside of the room suddenly quieted. You froze, looking down at her in panic, but she didn't share the same concern.

Instead, Yara chuckled, murmured your own name against your cunt almost tauntingly, and without any warning, eased her tongue inside of you. Your whole body stuttered, and you slammed your hand against the desk. Yara gripped your legs even tighter and repeated the motion, and you couldn't find it in you to keep quiet, not with the way Yara was working you like she was eating her last meal.

"Fuck," you groaned, back arching. You head fell back, curls falling with it, and Yara swore she had never seen anything more stunning or satisfying. Yara's own cunt throbbed impossibly hard, but she continued her merciless assault, drawing curse after curse from you, until Yara was certain the men outside knew exactly what was going on and with whom.

Yara stood and pulled your hips closer to the edge of the desk. Holding you by your hips, she rocked her hips against your core, and you gasped at the new sensation. You grabbed her shoulder, holding yourself up.

Yara cradled your face with one hand, and you buried yourself in her arm, ear pressed against her chest, whining and whimpering. She pressed kisses into your neck, nipping at it and bruising it. Slowly, Yara stopped her hips, and just as you started to get question it, she spoke.

"You want me to fuck you, sweetheart?" She teased, and you cried out, nodding desperately into her arm. Yara laughed, and then when you felt her middle and ring finger prodded at your entrance, you clenched down, gasping.

"Relax, sweetheart," she whispered, kissing right behind your ear. "I'm going to take good care of you."

You shuddered against her, but tried your best to settle down. Yara started pushing in again, and you clenched again out of instinct, this time clamping down on her fingers. She groaned into your ear.

"You're so tight," she whispered, and you pulsed around her fingers, whining. Once she was entirely inside, Yara curled her fingers, and your whole body reacted.

Your legs wrapped around her, holding her in place, and your fingers dug into her lower back while you saw stars. You bit down on her arm, at least still attempting to keep quiet, and Yara moaned loudly. When you finally loosened you grip on her arm, she pulled your face back by your hair.

"Does that feel good?" She whispered against your lips, and you panted, pressing kisses between each breath.

"Yes, y-yes," You cried out, and she pressed a knowing kiss to your temple.

"I'm going to move them," she warned, and you nodded, eyes glassed over and lips parted. She kissed your fiercely, then held eye contact as she started pumping her fingers. You groaned loudly, then started moving your hips to meet her hand. As your body adjusted to the foreign feeling, you grew confident.

The sound coming from it was obscene, and you pulled Yara down to sloppily kiss her. Yara pushed harder, and so did you. Soon, you developed a rythym, and you could feel a pressure building up in your stomach. Yara glanced down at her hand, then back up at you, eyes unbelievably filled with even more lust. You followed her gaze and practically melted at the sight.

Thick, hot cream spilled out of you and on to Yara's hand, and gods above, her hand was huge. Her palm practically framed your whole cunt, and the sight made you dizzy.

Yara flicked her thumb over your clit, and you choked, grabbing her neck to hold you up from falling backwards. Your whole spine tingled, and your vision started to blur.

"Y-Yara, I'm," you gasped, but you weren't entirely sure what was going on. "I'm, I think I'm gonna -"

"Cum, sweetheart," Yara groaned. "You're going to cum for me." She pumped her fingers harder, and you sobbed into her arms, feeling your stomach ball up tighter, tighter, tighter, and then burst.

You screamed into her shoulder as your cunt gushed over her hand, and Yara moaned your name into your ear at the feeling. Your hips stuttered, but Yara kept pumping until you were shaking uncontrollably and babbling nonsense. Then, she eased out of you.

She tilted your head up with one hand, then brought the other soiled one between the two of you. You looked up with watery eyes and red cheeks, and watched as Yara licked your cum off of a few of her fingers. Then, she prodded your lips with the remaining two, and you opened your mouth, accepting it gratefully.

You pushed her fingers farther and farther down your throat, chasing that high and letting the bittersweet flavor swirl and cloud your taste and mind. You looked up at Yara through wet lashes, and she swore she could've creamed herself.

"Fucking hell," she groaned, and pulled her fingers out of your mouth, worried you'd probably suffocate yourself on them if she let you work at them any more.

You coughed and gasped, and regained your breath just before she pressed a firm kiss against your mouth. When she pulled away, you stared at her with wide eyes and she panted down at you. You couldn't pull a single word to say off your tongue.

She kissed your temple, then the side of your head, and rested her forehead against yours. "Gods below, are you sure that was your first time?"

You nodded breathlessly, swallowing thickly.

"You fuck like a-"

"- I want to do it again."

Yara pulled back, studying your face. Her face was expressionless, and for a moment during the silence, you were worried you had angered her, or somehow shamed her skill. Then, the corners of her mouth curved into a smirk.

"You want to do it again?" She asked, tilting her head until her lips were almost slotted against yours. You nodded your head.

"Is that okay?" You asked, no shyness left to spare.

Yara laughed loudly and kissed you. She stepped away, running her hands through her hair.

"Yes, fucking absolutely," she assured. She reached down and grabbed your robe. "But not in here, I have other things to show you."

You quickly got dressed. Your body shook, so Yara helped you with it extensively, and kept you steady. You looked up at her quizzically. "Other things like what?"

She grinned wickedly before pulling you up into her arms, one arm under yours and the other under your knees.

"You'll see, princess," she assured.

In her brutish style, Yara kicked open the door to her quarter's. The soldiers remaining on deck went absolutely silent, staring at the two of you with both terrified and amused expressions.

Yara coughed loudly and you buried your face into her shoulder to hide your embarrassment.

"If you gentleman will excuse me, me and the lady are going to retire for the night."

[gleafer]

Working late. Feeling blah. Put on my crown. Suddenly need to say “Winter is Coming” repeatedly until the cops are called.

[meggerzzzz]

This had me on edge … and why is young Bloodraven kinda cute lol

[amber-laughs]

Dancing to the Song of Ice and Fire

“Ser Waymar met him bravely. “Dance with me then.” He lifted his sword high over his head, defiant.” A Game of Thrones - Prologue

Our introduction to not just the Others but to the world itself. "Dance with me then"

The sight made Lady Alys smile. "Do you dance often, here at Castle Black?" "Every time we have a wedding, my lady." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

When the Night King wed his Corpse Bride it took Brandon the Breaker with his forces and Joramun, King-Beyond-the-Wall, with his forces coming together to take him down. There was a wedding and then their armies had to dance with the Others.

"You could dance with me, you know. It would be only courteous. You danced with me anon." "Anon?" teased Jon. "When we were children." She tore off a bit of bread and threw it at him. "As you know well." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

Anon is a word that we don't use as much in this context anymore but it means both "Soon" and "Shortly". For example in Romeo and Juliet when her nurse is calling for her Juliet responds "I come anon" meaning she'll be there shortly. It is never before and never again used in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Alys is telling Jon he danced with her for a brief time, specifically in the past tense and specifically to replace the word "shortly". But when Jon recalls this moment a few chapters later he misremembers it.

"A snowflake danced upon the air. Then another. Dance with me, Jon Snow, he thought. You'll dance with me anon." A Dance with Dragons - Jon XII

Jon now recalls this in the future tense and uses Anon to replace the word "soon". It's not that he danced in the past it's that he'll dance in the future. He'll dance with the Others soon just like Waymar Royce.

[starsnectars]

a woman was his downfall; a woman glimpsed from atop the wall, with skin as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars. fearing nothing, he chased her and caught her and loved her, though her skin was cold as ice, and when he gave his seed to her he gave his soul as well.

.

.

.

.

i finally finished this piece so heres the nights king and the corpse queen ahh this took way longer than it should've for which im sorry

[nicefieldsfm]

What is it with Decknine and blue eyes? 😭

[sabiartrin]

The Other said something in a language that Will did not know; his voice was like the cracking of ice on a winter lake, and the words were mocking.

[thequeenofsastiel]

Man, fuck all these GoT prequels, I want a damn sequel. I want to see how big Drogon gets. I want to know what he did with Daenerys' corpse. If he's capable of changing his sex so that he can lay eggs, and spawns a new age of dragons. I want to know if slavery returns to the Bay of Dragons once the former slavers get wind of the fact that they'll no longer have to fear Daenerys coming after them.

I want to know if the cold in the north diminishes to the point where there's no more snow and everything is green like it was when the Children created White Walkers in the first place. Are cold and snow purely a byproduct of the creation of the White Walkers, and only exist in Westeros? After all, we didn't see anywhere in Essos have anything resembling cold weather. True, nowhere in Essos is as far north as the North in Westeros, but even Braavos, which geographically is about as far north as the boundary between North and South in Westeros, didn't seem to be cold at all by the time Arya left, even though it was snowing in the Vale over two years earlier. Will seasons go away? Will it just be that the cold goes away in places where there is cold, or will the South become uninhabitable because of an increase in heat? Putting that aside, if the cold does go away, how does that affect the population of the North? Will there be a massive influx in population? How will the loss of the cold affect Jon and the Free Folk? After all, Tormund didn't like that it was even slightly less cold south of the wall.

What ended up happening to the Dothraki? Did they stay in Westeros? And if they did, did they have the same attitude about roaming from place to place, sacking cities? How did the population of Westeros deal with that? And what did Arya discover to be west of Westeros?

Idk, I just feel like a continuation of GoT(with better showrunners) would be so interesting.

[addamvelaryon]

Time to talk about the Dragonpit again…

The doors of the Dragonpit were made of bronze and iron. It’s an odd dichotomy that the metals of winter served as protection to the creatures of the long summer. During the Storming of the Dragonpit, when the rioters tried to break into the structure, they could not bypass those doors. Instead, they had to find other means of getting to the dragons inside:

Bronze and iron were the metals of winter, dark and strong to fight against the cold.

.

The Shepherd’s lambs smashed through the doors (the towering main gates, sheathed in bronze and iron, were too strong to assault, but the building had a score of lesser entrances) and came clambering through windows.

I’ve often mentioned that the Dragonpit exists in juxtaposition with the Wall, so this is a very neat detail to me. The purpose of the Dragonpit was to house and protect the creatures of fire inside from dangers outside. Whereas, the Wall serves to protect those behind it from the dangers of the creatures of ice on the other side.

Protection of the realm is the ultimate objective for the black clad sentinels of the Wall, the Night’s Watch. Their vows, which liken them to fire, state as much:

“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”

Just like the Night’s Watch, the Dragonkeepers are protectors who armor themselves in black:

The king decreed that all the dragons should be guarded night and day, regardless of where they laired. A new order of guards was created for this purpose: the Dragonkeepers, seventy-seven strong and clad in suits of gleaming black armor, their helms crested by a row of dragon scales that continued, diminishing, down their backs.

.

Empty suits of armor stood sentinel along the walls. They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting their helms, now dusty and forgotten.

Just as the Night’s Watch is willing to give their life in order to protect the realm, the Dragonkeepers do the same for the dragons. But both groups have their numbers greatly reduced so they are no longer able to keep their watch to their full ability:

The Dragonpit had its own contingent of guards, the Dragonkeepers, but those proud warriors were only seven-and-seventy in number, and fewer than fifty had the watch that night. Though their swords drank deep of the blood of the attackers, the numbers were against them.

Service in the Dragonpit concerns protecting the dragons. It is also simultaneously about protecting the city (aka the realm):

It had long been the custom for at least one dragonrider to reside at the pit, so as to be able to rise to the defense of the city should the need arise. As Rhaenyra preferred to keep her sons by her side, that duty fell to Addam Velaryon.

GRRM is so on the nose describing the Dragonkeepers as “stood sentinel along the walls” and “had the watch that night”. I'm not even going to get into all the parallels between Addam and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jon Snow, because those are obvious enough.

When the Dragonpit fell, the Dragonkeepers were slaughtered by an uncontrollable violent mass of people (wights) who were led by a sinister figure (White Walker) determined to destroy the creatures of fire. When the Wall falls, the members of the Night’s Watch will probably be killed in like manner.

At the end of the war, all the dragons were dead except for Morning (the false dawn). Shortly afterwards, Westeros was subjected to the onset of a cruel winter that swept over the realm:

This period was soon known as the False Dawn.

[…]

And a terrible, hard winter—first declared by the Conclave in Oldtown in 130 AC, on Maiden’s Day—had taken a firm grip on the realm, and would last for six cruel years.

I believe it’s very deliberate that the dragons are connected to the state of the realm.

After all, the Dance of the Dragons is just Song of Ice and Fire writ small. What happened before will perforce happen again.

[thewatcher0nthewall]

Cold Gods

[daenerystargaryen06]

Heya! I wanted to ask you, did you see the end of HotD S2? Daemon’s vision? Doesn’t it prove that Dany always has been the one who was promised? They showed her. Not Jon. Not Bran. Dany’s the one who was promised. I have seen a lot of sexist Jon stans denying reality and claiming it’s Jon simply because of who his parents are and some of the nastier ones saying Dany is nothing, but fuck them. That scene really gives me a lot of hopes for her real ending in the books. She’s obviously the hero. One of them at least. She’s the Fire of the Song of Ice and Fire as GRRM confirmed. And he associates Fire with love and passion and life. I think it is so clear that George was never going to give Dany a stupid villain turn like the hacks did. Does this scene give you any hopes for Dany in the books? I still stand by my conviction. I will accept Bran being King of Westeros, however much I think it’s just really not logically possible, as long as Dany and Arya and Jon all survive and can live peaceful lives. But… I really want Dany to be Queen. I mean why have her learn how to be a ruler and a leader for it to not pay off? Besides how many fantasy stories end with a Queen being crowned instead of a King? That would be a great subversion of the typical fantasy story

Hello! So sorry for the delayed response... but here we go! Yes! I did see the vision Daemon had at the end of season 2, I even made an edit including the scene of Daenerys (if you want to check it out it's on my tik tok page- Divi_Chan). In my opinion the vision scene and Daemon's reunion with Rhaenyra in Harrenhal were the only good scenes from that episode overall. I really did enjoy how they included Daenerys into the vision and I nearly screamed out of joy when I first saw it, haha.

I also do believe that, yes, the scene was included to hint at Daenerys being TPTWP/Azor Ahai. But the show has been sprinkling these hints in ever since the first episode of the first season. The opening credits display the words "172 years before Daenerys Targaryen", reminding the audience of her and her importance to the story, and when Viserys is speaking to Rhaenyra about the Song of Ice and Fire and Aegon's dream, Daenerys' theme is the musical score. The vision was the scene to piece it all in cohesively and confirm overall that yes, Daenerys is Azor Ahai, and that she is the one most integral to the Targaryen legacy and the war against the Others. Rhaenyra was set as a beginning stone for what Daenerys will eventually carry out centuries later.

And they indeed did not show ANYONE else from GoT for the vision/scene. They showed Bloodraven, the White Walkers, the death of the dragons in the Dragon Pit (a future scene from the books), bodies from war, Daemon sinking into water (his end from his battle against Aemond in the books), the red comet, Daenerys' three dragon eggs, and then Daenerys herself sitting with her three newly hatched dragons. And honestly, if you think about it... this is mostly connected, and perhaps leans into to Daenerys' role as Azor Ahai in segments.

Bloodraven is a Targaryen bastard, yet he is a greenseer; he knows about the White Walkers, and is speculated to have Targaryen items of value with him for this battle (Dark Sister, for example). He likely knows the role Daenerys and Bran will play in the Long Night and is preparing them (mainly Bran for now) for it.

The White Walkers obviously are the 'big bad', the ultimate enemy to vanquish for Daenerys and others that will play roles in the Long Night.

The death of the dragons led into their extinction... yet centuries later, Daenerys brings them back into the world, and they will play their parts as Lightbringer.

The red comet and Daenerys' eggs and her hatching dragons into the world again is her fulfilling the prophecy to be Azor Ahai.

Daemon knows very little of the prophecy from Rhaenyra, but he was shown it in his visions, yet due to that little knowledge he holds I doubt he thinks/knows this vision is showing him who Azor Ahai truly is. I believe it was stated by the director's that he might think Daenerys is his future daughter with Rhaenyra and she will be the one to be important in some manner, since he saw her with her three dragons (I THINK the director's stated this, I'm not 100% sure, it could also just be a fan theory my brain registered as confirmation haha).

I have also seen Jon stans deny the vision confirms this and insist he is Azor Ahai on many platforms, but the truth of the matter is that Jon is not Azor Ahai; he is likely connected to the prophecy and will play a major role in it, but he is not the main focus/center piece of the prophecy. Daenerys is. They can continue to whine and bitch about it all they want- they'll never really know who it truly is unless the last two books are finished and released.

Of course, G.R.R.M would never base his story like how D&D did it. He outright denied their ending to be in line with his, stating the books would be very much different from the show. He also was open about his frustration with how GoT ended and what D&D had done with his works/story. His writing overall portrays Daenerys as a hero and Azor Ahai, very integral to his plot, and he has stated in many interviews how she would be a good leader, and that she is one of his favorites. Not to mention one of the key five main characters in his books. I've always held out hope that G.R.R.M would finish his works and give Daenerys the true arc she deserves and delve into her role as Azor Ahai. However- G.R.R.M also doesn't like how the director's are changing his story yet again for HOTD, he stated his anger and frustration with them on his blog in a post he made... it is likely that he told the director's some hidden points like he did with D&D- such as Aegon's dream, Daenerys being Azor Ahai, etc. but the director's likely turned this into their own work yet again and carried it out in a way he didn't agree with.

Daenerys' arc and what she learns and experiences definitely should pay off with her winding up as Queen of the 7k and creating a peaceful, new rule in Westeros... likely acting alike to both Aegon I and Jaehaerys I. And I do agree it would definitely be a subversion to the usual fantasy stereotype plotlines. But I also believe that IF D&D were correct about G.R.R.M informing them that Bran would be King, that G.R.R.M also thinks that would be a subversion as well. The cripple, the broken boy everyone thinks is dead- becomes King. It is also unheard of in fantasy for that play and I think G.R.R.M also considers it a subversion of the usual fantasy stories such as that one... but Daenerys would fit just as well if he made her Queen. Even the entirety of the Dance of the Dragons and their story seems to have been made as a leading stone for Daenerys to be Queen and fulfill what her ancestors from the Dance couldn't before- becoming the Queen of Westeros, bringing dragons back, holding a peaceful rule, defeating the Others for good, etc. So it all is complicated to think about and truthfully I think G.R.R.M has set up much more foreshadowing for Daenerys to be Queen than making Bran king. But who knows... this is his story, and he will ultimately do whatever he likes with it for his vision of the storyline/plot, so whoever winds up as ruler is up for him to decide overall and we can't change that. I personally believe Bran would be better as King in the North. All we can do for now is speculate and hope.

Thanks for the message! :)

[hotdmadness]

“ You’ll be fighting their battles forever “

Game of Thrones: 5x08

Hardhome

[travllingbunny]

Yoy think Daenerys will turn evil in the books?

No. I also don't think she will go mad.

I do think she will get darker and more ruthless in The Winds of WInter. So will Jon Snow. In Dany's case it will be because she tried to repress the "dragon" side of her nature and made too many compromises in Meereen in ADWD, which she will realize was a mistake, symbolically embracing her dragon side now that she's with Drogon and has become his rider, but she may go too far into the other direction.

She will also at some point meet Tyrion, who will become her advisor - and Tyrion is definitely in his dark phase already and full of rage and desire for revenge against his family - especially his siblings, so he is certainly not going to be a moderating, level-headed influence.

I think, on the personal level, TWOW Jon Snow will be darker and more terrifying than Dany, and maybe more than Tyrion too, once he comes back from the dead (probably after spending some time in Ghost) - because he has the mystical storyline of getting resurrected, in addition to the man/direwolf duality and symbiosis. GRRM has made it clear many times that he thinks any storyline of someone getting resurrected must include a heavy price, and that it can't be just someone being the same or having even bigger powers. However, Jon Snow being even more terrifying than Dany and Tyrion on the personal level would be off-set by the fact that Dany is a dragonrider with control over two more dragons, which gives her a lot of potentially destructive power. (This may change when/if Jon gets to ride a dragon too, but Dany will already have that kind of power when she gets to Westeros.)

I think we're in for a very dark penultimate novel, where our protagonists will do a lot of troubling and maybe destructive things. But I don't think any of them are meant to end up their arcs as evil. It would especially be weird for Dany. GRRM has already written a "mad Queen/evil Queen" character, who loves fire, doesn't care for the lives of most people, and has been compared to Aerys - it's Cersei. So why would he make Dany go mad and evil too? Dany and Jon are parallels to each other. Dany and Cersei, on the other hand, are written to be two powerful women who are complete opposites as people and rulers (even with some of the similar experiences), so it makes no sense for them to end up both evil and mad, unless the author is trying to say women rulers are bad in general, which I really can't see GRRM deciding to do. And Dany constantly questioning her actions and her sanity (something a malignant narcissist like Cersei never does) is another reason why her going evil and/or insane would be extremely unsatisfying.

I think that the show plot of King's Landing getting destroyed will happen in the books as the tragic result of the Dany/fAegon civil war, and that it will probably be due to several factors including Dany's dragons ( it would be both/either due to her her determination to be harsh to her enemies and/or inability to fully control Drogon). stashes of wildfire in the city, and Jon Connington likely doing something extreme. He is the one who is likely to get triggered by the sound of bells, because it reminds him of his loss at the Battle of Bells, which has haunted him since, and he has already decided that he has to be more extreme and ruthless, like Tywin, in order to win this time.

In any case, I think whatever happens makes Dany decide that fighting for the Iron Throne was wrong and makes her want to redeem herself, and that her ultimate fate is to fight the Others, which has been foreshadowed. And if I'm certain of anything about ASOIAF, it's that the Long Night will not be the short, anticlimactic affair it was in the show - it will be the big, final showdown, because it has always been strongly implied that this is what the humans in the story really need to focus on, instead of fighting each other over power.

[dedalvs]

Hello Mr Peterson!

I was doing my weekly obsessive dive of TGOT languages as one does when I noticed the skroth language.

I saw a post about the reference grammar and heard a audio sample and it seems like the perfect language to scream into my computer screen as I learn, will any other material such as vocabulary be released or is the language like the show over?

Nah, that was an idea they had about having the White Walkers speak, since it's said that they speak in the books. Ultimately they decided against it, which I think was the right decision. So that was nothing more than a sketch to test out an idea.